Elevating and sighting apparatus for field-guns.



Patented Ja11.2, 1912.

2 HBLTs-SH'EBT 1,

G. 'I'. BUCKHAM. ELEVATING AND SIGHTING APPARATUS OF FIELD GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1909.

G. T. BUCKHAM.

ELBVATING AND SIGHTING APPARATUS 0F FIELD GUNS.

AP'PLIUATION FILED AUG. 20, 1909.

1,013,585. Patented .13.11.2,1912

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W//q ess es j MM @ff- UNITED STATESAPATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF VVESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TOVICKER-S SONS & IVIAISIIv'lI'J LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

ELEVATING ANI) SIGHTING APPARATUS OF FIELD-GUNS.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE THOMAS BUGKHAM, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at 32 Victoria street, lVest- Ininster, in thecounty of London, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in and Relating to the Elevating and Sighting Apparatus ofField-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to elevating and sighting apparatus of the kindin which the gun can be elevated together with the sighting apparatus,or independently thereof, the screws for effecting these pointing andranging operations being arranged co-axially and the hand wheelsoperating the same being adapted to be actuated without changing theposition of their axes relatively to each other or to the mounting.

According to the present invention the ranging screw whose outer endengages with a nut pivotally attached to the gun cradle, abuts on thepointing screw, and is so connected therewith that the said rangingscrew can be rotated independently of the pointing screw withoutreceiving any longitudinal movement, but cannot be displacedlongitudinally independently of the pointing screw. This connectioncomprises a box or casing in which the ranging screw can rotate whenactuated by the ranging hand wheel, the said box or casing being adaptedto be connected with the sighting apparatus.

In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, I will describe the same more fully with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical section ofmy irnproved ranging and pointing gear in which the ranging and pointingscrews are made in two parts; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesighting apparatus employed with said gear.

A is the ranging screw and B is the pointing screw, both of which screwsare made hollow. The ranging screw is superimposed above the pointingscrew with its axis in alinement therewith. At the part where the twoscrews abut together I provide a box or casing C which permits theranging screw to revolve relatively to the pointing screw Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application led August 20, 1909.

Patented Jan. 2,19122 Serial No. 513,769.

without becoming disconnected, the said box or casing also serving tocarry the pivot pin c for the link or arm C that is coupled. to thehinged sight arm of the sighting apparatus in the usual manner. Theupper end of the ranging screw engages with a nut A having a stem a bywhich it is swiveled to the gun cradle A2 so as to be capable of turningabout a transverse axis without rotating around the screw A. Near thelower part of the pointing screw B is another box or casing B pivotallyconnected with the trail D or other convenient part of the mounting andcontaining a rotary nut B2 which engages with the threads of the saidpointing screw and also containing a rotary sleeve B3 which is situatedat a point beneath and independent of the rotary nut. The nut B2 and thesleeve B3 have bevel. teeth b2 b3 at their inner ends engagingrespectively with a bevel pinion c2 on the spin dle e of the pointinghand wheel E and a bevel pinion f3 on the spindle f of the ranging handwheel F. Projecting upward from the said sleeve B3 is a spindle B4 whichextends through the pointing screw B and into the ranging screw A withwhich it engages by means of grooves and feathers 54' at. The threadedportion of the pointing screw B is slotted longitudinally at b5 toreceive a projection 7) on the box or casing B for preventing the saidscrew from revolving but permitting it to slide longitudinally. When thepointing hand wheel E is operated the aforesaid nut BL in the box orcasing B will be revolved, through the in tervention of the bevelgearing c2 b2, and the pointing screw B as well as the ranging screw Awill move together in a longitudinal direction without turning, thussimultaneously changing the elevation of the gun and sight. IVhen theranging hand wheel F is operated, the aforesaid sleeve B3 in the box orcasing B will be revolved through the intervention of the bevel gearingf3 b3 appertaining thereto, whereby the ranging screw A will be revolvedby means of the internal spindle B4 that extends from the said sleeve B3and engages with the ranging screw A by the grooves and feathers a4 724.As the said ranging screw A revolves it will cause the non-rotary nut Aon the gun llt) cradle to move longitudinally along the ranging screw Athus changing the elevation of the gun without moving the sight. It willbe seen that in this arrangement the ranging screw A does not extendcompletely through the pointing screw B as in previous arrangements, butonly extends into the same for a sufficient distance to give a steadybearing thereto, motion being transmitted to the ranging screw by thespindle B4 along which the ranging screw can slide. By this arrangementno part of the gear projects below the sleeve B3 at any time during theoperation of the said gear. Obviously this arrangement for actuating theranging screw could be employed with screws situated in a horizontal orapproximately hori- Zontal position.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesis :A

1. In elevating and sighting apparatus for ordnance, the` combinationwith the trail of the gun and the ranging and pointing hand wheelsmounted thereon, of a pointing screw, a ranging screw which abutsthereon and does not pass through said pointing screw, and means forconnecting the said screws together located entirely at their abuttingparts so that the ranging screw can be rotated independently of thepointing screw without receiving any longitudinal movement, but cannotbe displaced longitudinally independently of the pointing screw.

2. In elevating and sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combinationwith the trail of the gun and the ranging and pointing hand wheelsmounted thereon, of a nut pivotally attached to the gun cradle, apointing screw, a ranging screw which passes through said nut and whichabuts on said pointing screw and does not pass therethrough, and meansfor connecting the said screws together located entirely at theirabutting parts so that the ranging screw can be rotated independently ofthe pointing screw without receiving any longitudinal movement, butcannot be displaced longitudinally independently of the pointing screw.

3. In elevating and sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combinationwith the trail of the gun and the ranging and pointing hand wheelsmounted thereon, of a nut pivotally attached to the gun cradle, apointing screw, a ranging screw which passes through said nut and whichabuts on said pointing screw and does not pass therethrough, a rotarysleeve connected with the ranging screw and actuated by said ranginghand wheel, and means for connecting the said screws together locatedentirely at their abutting parts so that the ranging screw can berotated independently of the pointing screw without receiving anylongitudinal movement, but cannot be displaced longitudinallyindependently of the pointing screw.

4;. In elevating and sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combinationwith the trail of the gun and the ranging and pointing hand wheelsmounted thereon,'of a nut pivotally attached to the gun cradle, apointing screw, a ranging screw which passes through said nut and whichaouts on said pointing screw and does not pass therethrough, a rotarysleeve connected with the ranging screw and actuated by said ranginghand wheel, a rotary nut engaging with the pointing screw and actuatedby the pointing hand wheel, and means for connecting the said screwstogether located entirely at their abutting parts so that the rangingscrew can be rotated independently of the pointing screw withoutreceiving any longitudinal movement, but cannot be displacedlongitudinally independently of the pointing screw.

5. In elevating and sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combinationwith the trail of the gun and the ranging and pointing hand wheelsmounted thereon, of a nut pivotally attached to the gun cradle, apointing screw, a ranging screw which passes through said nut and whichabuts on said pointing screw and does not pass therethrough, a rotarysleeve connected with the ranging screw, a spindle connecting saidrotary sleeve with the ranging screw, a rotary nut engaging with thepointing screw and actuated by the pointing hand wheel, and means forconnecting the said screws together located entirely at their abuttingparts so that the ranging screw can be rotated independently of thepointing screw without receiving any longitudinal movement, but cannotbe displaced longitudinally independently of the pointing screw.

6. In elevating and sighting apparatus :t'or ordnance, the combinationwith the trail of the gun and the ranging and pointing hand wheelsmounted thereon, of a pointing screw, a ranging screw which abutsthereon and does not pass through said pointing screw, and a casingjoining the ends of the ranging and pointing screws at their abuttingparts so that the ranging screw can revolve relatively to the pointingscrew without becoming disconnected.

7. In elevating and sighting apparatus tor ordnance, the combinationwith the trail of the gun and the ranging and pointing hand wheelsmounted thereon, of a pointing screw, a ranging screw which abutsthereon and does not pass through said pointing screw, a casing joiningthe said ranging screw to the pointing screw at their abutting parts,sighting apparatus, and means for connecting said casing to the sightingapparatus.

8. In elevating and sighting apparatus for ordnance, the combinationwith the trail ot the gun and ranging and pointing hand wheels mountedthereon, oi a pointing screw, a ranging screw Which abuts thereon Intestimony whereof I ax'my signature and does not pass through saidpointing in presence oit' two Witnesses.

screw a casing att-ached to the pointing Y screw; a flange on theranging screw With GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM' which said casing engages,sighting appa- Witnesses: ratus, and means for connecting said caslngHENRY KING, to the slghtlng apparatus. ERNEST E. LARKINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

